While it may rob some of us of the joy of manually mowing our lawns, the latest robotic lawn mower from leading Swedish power tool manufacturer Husqvarna is the first to use satellite navigation technology to respect virtual boundaries.
Husqvarna launched the world’s first robotic lawn mower more than 25 years ago but relied on a boundary wire to keep the machine out of your veggie patch or prized dahlias.
The new Husqvarna Automower NERA, however, utilises satellite navigation to work within virtual boundaries. This unprecedented control allows people with private gardens the ability to dictate where to cut, when, and at what height.
Available in three different models catering to lawns measuring from 2200 m2 to 5000 m2, the Automower NERA is programmed using the Husqvarna Automower Connect App. Lacking the need for physical boundary wires, though, an EPOS plug-in kit is sold as a separate accessory.
High-tech for the home
Commercial customers have been able to use Husqvarna’s Exact Positioning Operating System (EPOS) for the last few years and has proven itself to be a game-changer, able to cater to lawns of up to 50,000m2.
The Husqvarna Automower NERA can cut with precision down to 2- to 3-centimetres, on rough terrain and slopes with up to 50% inclination.
“Husqvarna makes gardening and lawn management easy where smart robots and connected devices do most of the job,” said Glen Instone, president Husqvarna Forest & Garden.
“Being the pioneers and global leader within robotic lawn mowers, we are committed to lead the way. We are really excited about offering both professionals and now private garden owners this boundary wire-free solution.”
Husqvarna did not provide any pricing information, but the current range of Automower’s on sale in Australia start at $1,739 for the base-model Automower 305 and increase in price through to the Automower 535 AWD at $7,199.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.